Tree Frog Forestry News

Daily Archives: November 28, 2014

Business & Politics

Aboriginal title case reverberates

Former Snuneymuxw chief Doug White calls for new national strategy after Tsilhqot’in court decision

Nanaimo Daily News

November 25, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada, Canada West

First Nations in Canada now need to work on a comprehensive strategy concerning the Supreme Court of Canada’s historic declaration of aboriginal title regarding the Tsilhqot’in, says Doug White in a presentation and discussion on Monday at Vancouver Island University. The June 26 ruling, which recognized aboriginal title to approximately 2,000 square kilometres of the Tsilhqot’in First Nation, was the result of generations of advocacy around the issue of “the Indian land question,” said White, who is the director of the university’s new Centre for Pre-Confederation Treaties and Reconciliation.

Investigators Still Looking for Answers in Chipper Incident

250 News

November 27, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada, Canada West

Prince George, B.C. – The investigation continues into the incident at Brink Forest Products this week which left one worker seriously injured. WorkSafe BC says two investigators and one engineer have been on the site conducting interviews and examining the wood waste chipper. A worker fell into the chipper early Tuesday. The building (building ‘C’) which houses the chipper remains off limits for workers. Meantime , WorkSafe was called to the Parallel 55 mill ( East Fraser Fiber) in Mackenzie last night where a maintenance worker was caught in the tail spool of a conveyor belt and broke his arm.

Trips to China saved jobs

Letter by Bruce Strachan

Prince George Citizen

November 27, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada, Canada West

Kudos to your editorial “All over the world,” and the absolute necessity to trade with China. Indeed, thanks to the foresight and hard work of Colin Kinsley, Pat Bell and the B.C. Forest industry, with follow up trips by Shari Green, thousands of forest industry jobs have been saved and our local industry has prospered during the economic downturn of the last six years. Not only has increased trade with China kept our forest industry alive and well, but it’s maintained a higher price for B.C. softwood.

Pictou County residents split on Northern Pulp mill

Province required the company to seek community feedback

CBC News

November 27, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada East, Canada

A public consultation carried out by Northern Pulp in Pictou County concludes residents are split on their feelings towards the mill. The province required the company to seek community feedback and file that report with the Department of Environment. The department is considering under what conditions, if any, the mill should receive a new approval to operate after its five-year licence expires this January. Last month Northern Pulp held two open houses and received 172 written submissions.

Tembec stops production at Quebec mill as 650 workers go on strike

Montreal Gazette

November 26, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada East, Canada

MONTREAL – Tembec Inc. has ceased production at its lumber mill in Temiscaming, Que., after workers went on strike late Wednesday. The Quebec-based pulp, paper and lumber producer says 650 unionized employees have walked off the job at the facility. An additional 200 workers employed at the mill are not unionized. The union and the company have been in negotiations since August 2014. Their four-year collective agreement expired on Sept. 30. The company also said the closure will delay the installation of a boiler and turbine at the mill, which was expected to be completed by mid-December.

Quebec’s Strong Economic Forecast Built on Rising US Demand and Weak CAD

Marketwired

November 27, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada East, Canada

MONTREAL, QC- Key sectors like forestry, metals, and aerospace will drive Quebec’s strong export growth of 8 per cent this year, and add another 9 per cent gain in 2015, according Export Development Canada’s (EDC) recent economic forecast. Forestry is the biggest mover this year, as strong housing demand in the US and a weak Canadian dollar are driving a sky-high 15 per cent increase in exports. Lumber is the strong performer within the sector, while pulp and paper continues its decline as newsprint and other paper products are phased out in favor of digital alternatives.

Emissions improve at Nova Scotia pulp mill

Canadian Press

November 28, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada East, Canada

HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s Environment Department says emission levels from one of two boilers at the Northern Pulp mill in Pictou County are now within legal limits. However, it says emission levels from the mill’s recovery boiler remain slightly above the legal limit. Tests were completed Oct. 24 by consulting firm Stantec and reviewed by the government, as per a legally binding order issued in August. Under the order, the paper mill in Abercrombie Point has until May 30 to get its air quality emissions in line.

Northern Pulp still not meeting regulations

Latest Northern Pulp stack test results released

CBC News

November 28, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada East, Canada

The Nova Scotia government says the Northern Pulp mill in Pictou County has one boiler that still does not meet regulations, but it’s getting closer. Tests conducted last month show emissions from one boiler meet guidelines. Another is now four per cent over limits. A month earlier it was 45 per cent over. The company is promising to install new equipment. The provincial government says it will cancel the mill’s operating licence if it does not meet all guidelines by the end of May.

Firewood shortage sparks concerns in greater Moncton

Suppliers say customers waiting too late to place orders partly to blame for growing trend

CBC News

November 28, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: Canada East, Canada

Some Moncton-area residents are scrambling to find firewood for the winter. It’s an annual trend some woodlot owners say is the buyer’s fault, for waiting too late.Some smaller suppliers, like Jonathan Read, say they are having difficulty tracking down wood themselves. Jonathan’s Firewood Service in Sackville is out of dry firewood for the season, but people are still calling. It’s something Read says wouldn’t happen a decade ago, when customers ordered their supply as far ahead as the spring.

Growers grateful for higher Christmas tree prices

Associated Press

November 28, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: United States

DES MOINES, Iowa — Christmas tree likely will cost a little more this year, and growers like John Tillman say it’s about time. Six years of decreased demand and low prices put many growers out of business. Those who withstood the downturn are relieved they survived. “I’m awful proud to still be in the Christmas tree business,” said Tillman, who ships up to 20,000 trees each fall from nine fields south of Olympia, Washington. “We lost a lot of farmers who didn’t make it through.”

Christmas tree checkoff delayed again

The Capital Press

November 26, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: United States, US West

USDA has delayed a checkoff program that would raise $2 million a year to promote Christmas trees. A checkoff fee intended to raise money for promoting Christmas trees won’t be collected this harvest season because the USDA has delayed implementing the program. Supporters of the national 15 cent per tree checkoff fee — which would generate roughly $2 million a year — say the Obama administration has postponed appointing a governing board for the program due to fears of a political backlash.

About 200 Prineviille mill workers losing jobs

Woodgrain Millwork won’t repair plant after roof collapse

KTVZ.com

November 26, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: United States, US West

PRINEVILLE, Ore. -Woodgrain Millwork is the 27th-largest private employer in Central Oregon, with 237 employees.At least, it was. On Tuesday, mill officials announced to a room packed with employees that they do not plan to fix damages caused by a recent roof collapse. “The way the management said that there’s no plans of ever starting back up,” former employee Janet Smith said after the meeting at the Crook County Fairgrounds. They also were told their health insurance would be ending at midnight — something no one wants to hear. Couples and entire families are employed at the mill.

China demand for wood products set to climb

The New Zealand Herald

November 28, 2014

Category: Business & Politics

Region: International

China’s demand for wood products is forecast to continue growing faster than its own domestic production, New Zealand market data provider AgriHQ said. The DNS Forest Products-AgriHQ China Forestry Report said the People’s Republic’s demand for construction would continue to be underpinned by migration from rural to urban areas. The report also said small forest owners are expected to make up a growing proportion of New Zealand’s harvest in the next five years.

Forestry

WATCH: Disappointment in Cherryville as logging road goes ahead

Global News

November 25, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: Canada, Canada West

CHERRYVILLE -It seems a September blockade by Cherryville residents only delayed construction of a controversial logging road. Locals say crews began work on the forest service road this morning. The construction is a big disappointment for Cherryville residents who believe the projects proponent, BC Timber Sales (BCTS), hasn’t adequately looked at what impacts the road and planned logging might have on their community downstream. Residents are asking for more time to have their own assessments done.

City’s community forest plans to log at Esler

Williams Lake Tribune

November 27, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: Canada, Canada West

Public input is wanted on plans to harvest the Williams Lake Community Forest’s (WLCF) Flat Rock Block. Community Forest Manager Ken Day said everyone is invited to give input on the draft plan at a community meeting slated for Tuesday, Dec. 2 in Williams Lake. The Flat Rock Block measures 5,927 hectares, and is one of two areas allotted to the WLCF. It spans from the west side of Highway 20 to the Williams Lake River Valley and from Esler to the Fraser River. …Day is hoping the public will provide input to help the forest proceed with planning.

Coldstream boy takes top honours in art contest

Vernon Morning Star

November 28, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: Canada, Canada West

Hundreds of children got out their crayons and pencils to show what the forest means to them. The Association of BC Forest Professionals (ABCFP) and the Truck Loggers Association (TLA) were thrilled with the creative pictures entered in their art contest. Nine children (three in each of three age groups) emerged as winners of the National Forest Week contest held by these two organizations. Seven-year-old Leif Richter of Coldstream was one of two honourable mentions in the six to eight-year-old category with a four-part picture that shows everything from mountain biking and harvesting trees to a waterfall and animals living in the forest.

Forest Service seeking employees in Idaho

Idaho Statesman

November 27, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: United States, US West

The U.S. Forest Service will hold job fairs Dec. 8 at Idaho Department of Labor offices across the state. The service is looking primarily for seasonal workers in fire management, recreation such as trail building or campground maintenance, biological science in wildlife and fisheries and engineering. The fairs run from noon to 4 p.m. local time. Click here for locations of the 25 offices where job fairs will take place. The Forest Service also will have a program at each office from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. focused on recruiting military veterans.

Will lame duck Congress pass Montana wilderness, logging bills?

by Rob Chaney

The Missoulian

November 28, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: United States, US West

In the lame-duck weeks of December 2010, Sen. Jon Tester tried to get his Forest Jobs and Recreation Act attached to any must-pass legislation likely to make it out of Congress before the end of the year. The effort failed. But this December has a much larger slate of Montana-related lands bills looking for a vote, and a Democratic Senate caucus about to lose its majority status in January. That’s got a lot of congressional watchers wondering what last-minute legislation might wind up under President Barack Obama’s Christmas tree. But they’re not sharing much information.

Hard work harvesting Fraser firs for holidays

Asheville Citizen-Times

November 27, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: US East, United States

BAKERSVILLE – The Thanksgiving turkey’s not even been purchased before a host of evergreen trees start heading down from the hills, to be trucked across the Southeast and up the East Coast. Rodney Buchanan’s crew has been cutting and baling fragrant Fraser firs since mid-November, no matter what the weather. Coming into the holiday season, farmers across the mountains finally see the payoff from years of raising trees on the high slopes. North Carolina ranks second in the nation, supplying more than 4 million trees to what’s a $1 billion annual market in the U.S. alone.

Finding a way to right a wrong

Former model forests general manager visits Asian counterparts

The Telegram

November 28, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: International

Sean Dolter had a perception that control of model forests in Indonesia and the Philippines fell under dictatorship-type governments. But after spending 2 1/2 weeks in the South Asian countries, he found that’s not the case. “There is a desire from government to have this work,” he said, adding the governments simply lack the capacity and the funding to direct to community-based organizations. Dolter, former general manager of the Model Forest of Newfoundland and Labrador, was contracted by the federal government to visit the two countries.

England’s woodland owners thanked after slowdown in Ramorum disease

UK Forestry Commission

November 28, 2014

Category: Forestry

Region: International

Woodland owners who have co-operated with the Forestry Commission’s Phytophthora ramorum control programme have been thanked for helping to achieve a slowdown in the spread of the disease in England. The Forestry Commission has published an update on its 2014 programme of aerial surveys for Ramorum disease in larch woodland. At the completion of the flying programme, a significantly smaller total area of concern was identified than that recorded in the previous two years. A total of 135 hectares of larch woodland were marked for follow-up ground inspection, compared with 254ha in 2013.

Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

New Wood Waste to Biofuel & Plastics Process Developed at Dutch University

Waste Management World

November 26, 2014

Category: Carbon, Climate & Bioenergy

Region: International

A process that converts waste wood into the building blocks of gasoline has been developed by researchers at the Netherland’s KU Leuven’s Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis. According to the university, by using a new chemical process its researchers were able to convert the cellulose in sawdust into hydrocarbon chains. These hydrocarbons can be used as an additive in gasoline, or as a component in plastics. KU added that cellulose is the main substance in plant matter and is present in all non-edible plant parts of wood, straw, grass, cotton and old paper.